Beyond the Test World
Medical reports cast doubt on Steede's fitness
Ryan Steede, who was never considered for inclusion in Bermuda’s World Cup squad because of medical reports which indicated he was unfit to compete at that level, has insisted he never received a “fair” opportunity to prove himself fit for team
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Ryan Steede, who was never considered for inclusion in Bermuda’s World Cup squad because of medical reports which indicated he was unfit to compete at that level, has insisted he never received a “fair” opportunity to prove himself fit for team selection.
But Gus Logie, the coach, said the decision was made in the best interests of the team and Bermuda’s World Cup cause. “We have medical reports that suggest that he is not 100% fit ... and we go by the medical reports. So we are well aware of his injury and we are just not going to take the risks. It’s as simple as that.”
Steede alleged on Monday he had never been assessed or tested to determine whether or not he was fit enough to be selected for the World Cup.
More in the Royal Gazette
Full postRow follows election of Uganda new chairman
William Kibuuka-Musoke was voted new chairman of Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) at the Annual General Meeting at the National Council of Sports headquarters.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
William Kibuuka-Musoke was voted new chairman of Uganda Cricket Association (UCA) at the Annual General Meeting at the National Council of Sports headquarters.
Kibuuka-Musoke, also the new manager of Mandela National Stadium beat his only opponent Robert Kisubi by four votes.
This will be Kibuuka-Musoke's second time as chairman after an earlier stint in 2001 that was prematurely curtailed with a vote of no confidence. But one journalist described his election as the "biggest joke".
Writing in New Vision, James Bakama described Kibuuka-Musoke as “an abrasive man”. He continued: “[In his youth] he was a loose canon of sorts. Stories of him going for opponents' heads instead of the stumps were also common, just like tales of his rugby fights at Makerere University. Those who are skeptical of the new chairman feel he never matured from this past and is therefore not fit to be in Uganda's top cricket office.
Full postScotland lead Associate ODI rankings
Scotland have underlined their position at the top of the ICC Associate ODI rankings after good performances in the World Cricket League in Nairobi
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Scotland have underlined their position at the top of the ICC Associate ODI rankings after good performances in the World Cricket League in Nairobi. Kenya, who beat Scotland in the final, are not included as they are part of the main rankings until 2009.
Scotland beta Netherlands, Canada and Ireland in the tournament, giving them a 69% win rate against other Associates, well clear of Netherlands in second place. Ireland ate third after a disappointing event, Canada are fourth and Bermuda fifth.
Full postDissenters urge 'no' vote for new constitution
A row which has been brewing behind the scenes over the USA Cricket Association's proposed new constitution has spilled over into the public domain with the publication of an open letter from two regional directors slamming the changes.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
A row which has been brewing behind the scenes over the USA Cricket Association's proposed new constitution has spilled over into the public domain with the publication of an open letter from two regional directors slamming the changes.
Arjunan Ethirveerasingam, a regional director of the South West, and Laks Sampath of the North West, have written to the USACA executive all all board members in which they express "dismay" at the draft constitution and recommend that clubs and stakeholder vote against it.
The USACA had already come under fire for the short time it had given regions to consult stakeholders, and Cricinfo has been made aware of deep dissatisfaction among senior representatives with the way the entire process has been handled.
The letter points out several flaws with the way the planned changes have been handled, pointing out that they breach the existing constitution. The main complaints stems from the way that board of directors are to be appointed, effectively unelected for a three-year term.
Full postGuernsey, Jersey and Ireland big winners for Europe
The ICC has announced the regional winners of the ICC Development Program Awards 2006 with Guernsey, Jersey and Ireland coming out on top for the European Region.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
The ICC has announced the regional winners of the ICC Development Program Awards 2006 with Guernsey, Jersey and Ireland coming out on top for the European Region.
Guernsey Cricket Board picked up the Best Overall Cricket Development Program Award for their development program governed by the Guernsey Young Cricketers Development Committee and spearheaded by Jason Shambrook, full-time Cricket Development Officer, and Jon Orme, full-time Cricket Development Coach. The program begins in schools, giving children as young as seven years of age the opportunity to take part in cricket, and providing a player pathway to develop and feed these youngsters into senior club cricket.
Guernsey also had success in the Best Women’s Initiative category, where a series of after school ‘clubs’ resulted in the first ever match between two all-girls colleges and from this stemmed the first girls-only cricket league.
The Jersey Cricket Board picked up two awards - the first in the Marketing and Promotional Program category, for its newsletter “Around the Boundary” and the second the Spirit of Cricket Initiative in association with UNAIDS, awarded for a joint venture between the Jersey Cricket Board Development Team and St James School, a school for children with emotional and behavioural disorders. Children from the school formed a combined cricket team with two other primary schools enabling them to compete in a hardball match for the first time.
Full postUSA elections throw up glaring gaps
The revelation that the USA Cricket Association had finally put forward a new constitution to its stakeholders was, on the face of it, a rare piece of good news in the murky world of domestic US cricket
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
The revelation that the USA Cricket Association had finally put forward a new constitution to its stakeholders was, on the face of it, a rare piece of good news in the murky world of domestic US cricket. But after a closer look, the news might not be as good as it seemed.
Within hours of the announcement there were signs of unrest. The most obvious issue was that the whole deal was presented as one that only needed rubber stamping rather than consideration. After months of silence and rumour, stakeholders were given three weeks to digest the proposals, circulate and discuss them, and vote. While that may be time enough, there was a feeling of indecent haste about the whole process.
And then there was the issue of the regions, and more specifically the clubs within those regions. A close examination shows that there is a considerable imbalance between the way the regions are divided. More worryingly, some regions appear to have grown at a phenomenal rate.
One regional president made his views clear. “There are a number of so called clubs that are nothing but bogus clubs,” he told Cricinfo. “I challenge this administration to conduct a through independent audit of all clubs in all regions to see if they really play cricket or if certain individuals chose to pay $30 per club time 8 per League (i.e. $240 per year) to ensure they have enough leagues and enough clubs to vote.”
Full postDemocracy ... USACA style
After months of silence and less than five weeks before the ICC's final deadline for its implementation, the USA Cricket Association has finally circulated the proposed new constitution to its members for ratification.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
After months of silence and less than five weeks before the ICC's final deadline for its implementation, the USA Cricket Association has finally circulated the proposed new constitution to its members for ratification.
The documentation was sent out by Paul de Silva, the secretary of the USACA, with a note asking each region to appoint a regional administration in accordance with the draft constitution by February 21, 2007. "This will help fast track the electoral process," he explained, adding that he "presumed that the draft constitution will be ratified".
To maintain its status as an associate member of the ICC the USACA must hold new elections by March 1, 2007 under a new constitution. This means that from the date of de Silva's email, the regions have 21 days to consult all member clubs, ratify the constitution and appoint a representative, as all ballots must be completed by February 19.
While stakeholders will be delighted to finally have some information after months of silence from the USACA board, the timescales for the process to be finalised are almost ridiculously tight, and questions have to be asked regarding why the board has left it so late and what exactly have they been doing in the meantime.
Full postA long way from home
It won't get many column inches in the mainstream cricket press, but the World Cricket League, which started in Nairobi yesterday and continues into next week, features the best of the rest, the six sides just under the ten Test-playing countries
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
It won't get many column inches in the mainstream cricket press, but the World Cricket League, which started in Nairobi yesterday and continues into next week, features the best of the rest, the six sides just under the ten Test-playing countries. For the two finalists, the rewards are bountiful - a place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September, along with $250,000. For countries used to surviving on annual handouts from the ICC of less than $200,000, that's big money.
With the exception of Bermuda, cricket is not a mainstream sport in any of the participants. And yet it survives, and in some instances thrives, despite the lack of attention and a relatively small number of enthusiasts.
The ICC, who do sterling work in supporting the game's second and third tiers, will rightly use the event to highlight that cricket is not just about the Indians and Australias of the world.
But there remains a nagging worry. The ICC boasts that the game is spreading across the world. But is that right? Is it taking root or is it surviving because more people from its hotbed - south-east Asia - are emigrating and keeping it alive for the duration of their careers?
Full postCanada's Ugandan star
A very interesting article in Kenya’s Standard about Henry Osinde
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
A very interesting article in Kenya’s Standard about Henry Osinde. Born and raised in Uganda, he is back in neighbouring Kenya this week to play in the World Cricket League. But he has turned his back on Uganda and is now a member of the multinational Canadian side.
Without a touch of irony, he said that "Uganda cricket has a good development programme, but the problem is to get it to next level." He added, with another turn of the knife, that he had no plans to visit to offer any support.
Full postSri Lanka overcome plucky Malaysia
Malaysia put on a brave front before going down by five wickets against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the HSBC Malaysian Under-19 Invitational tri-series at the Kinrara Oval.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Malaysia put on a brave front before going down by five wickets against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the HSBC Malaysian Under-19 Invitational tri-series at the Kinrara Oval.
It was a result which the young Malaysians, led by skipper Faris Almas-Lee, should not look into with sadness or shame but instead hold their heads high at the end of the day as there was so much excitement provided by the hosts which had the Test-playing nation gripped with nail-biting anxiety.
Full post